spineta pepper pie (serves 4) my 'Emma Bridgewater' prize winning recipe

This is my prize winning recipe called 'spineta pepper pie' and the lovely pottery star bakers in the photo were part of my prize in a recipe competition  Emma Bridgewater Pottery ran a while back.

There's a lovely story about how I devised this recipe and I have added it as a footnote below.
 

When I make this for non-meat eating visitors even the carnivores can't keep their hands off it! 

  

Spineta pepper pie

© Linda Edmonds (the cookery Angel)

ingredients 

450g fresh spinach (washed)

200g feta cheese

3 peppers

3 salad onions (thinly sliced)

50g sun blush tomatoes in their oil

handful of chopped fresh mixed herbs (dill, mint and parsley)

packet of filo pastry

75g butter (melted)

1 large free range egg (beaten)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

squeeze of lemon juice

sprinkle of sesame seeds

pinch of dried chilli flakes

salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper

grated fresh nutmeg
1 veg stock cube (type you can crumble like oxo)

method

Cut the mixed peppers in half, remove and discard the seeds, stalks and white parts. Slice the peppers into strips. Char-grill the peppers on a skillet or dry frying pan. Place peppers into a bowl, add the sun blush tomatoes, olive oil, dried chilli flakes, 1/2 of the stock cube, season with salt and pepper then cover with cling film. This will help steam the peppers so they become softer.

Meanwhile, pre-heat oven 180c (160c fan assist /350f/gas mark 4).

Steam spinach until the leaves wilt, then using a sieve, drain and squeeze out as much excess water as possible.  Put spinach onto a board, chop well and put it into a bowl.  Crumble into the spinach the rest of the stock cube, season with freshly ground black pepper and a good grating of nutmeg. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and mix well. 

Crumble the feta cheese into spinach mixture, add the salad onion and fresh herbs, then taste and add a little salt if required.  Add the egg and combine well.
 

Brush the inside of the baker with melted butter and add a layer of filo pastry then brush lightly with butter. The pastry will overlap the edges of the dish. Repeat layers 3 times. 
 

Add the spinach mixture over the filo layers and spread evenly. Strew the char-grilled peppers over the spinach layer then add remaining layers of filo as before.

 

Fold over the overlapping filo layers and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the pastry.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Cut into portions and serve with a large Greek salad.

The spineta pepper pie can also be served cold and is great for picnics.

© Linda Edmonds (the cookery Angel)

Enjoy x 







Footnote

here's the story behind the recipe above ....


Before I met my husband Ian, his mum gave him a recipe for a spinach pie to use in a restaurant he used to work in.  It was based on a Greek dish called 'spanakopita pie'.  They used it on their menu and I can remember eating it once when I started working there and I never forgot the flavour.

Then one day when Ian and I were on holiday in Halkidiki, Greece, we walked by a lovely little bakery and I said 'I wonder of they have any spanakopita pie in there?'. 

We wandered into the bakery and searched their wares but could see no spanakopita pie.  We bought some delicious baklava and I asked the young boy serving us if they ever sold the dish.  He spoke in broken English and said 'no we never sell it but my grandmother makes the best spanakopita pie'.

The very next day we walked by the bakery once again and saw a huge tray of spanakopita pie.  We rushed to buy some and the boy beamed at us and said his grandmother had made it because we had asked about it.  We bought two huge pieces of it and ate it on the beach for our lunch.  It was divine.  We went back for more the next day but it had sold out and were told his grandmother would be making some more as it was so popular.

When we returned from our holiday I decided to make my very own version of the dish.  I added peppers and sunblush tomatoes etc as a little extra but my recipe can used without this addition.

Years later I entered my recipe for 'spineta pepper pie' into an Emma Bridgewater cookery competition and I won a set of three fabulous 'Starry Skies Bakers' (two seen in photos above). 


Just thought I'd share this story with you as its amazing how recipes can be inspired.